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1) Do you think PHP would be the best language? I've read the pro/cons on several sites, and PHP looks the best, but Earth2025 (one of the most popular) is programmed in CGI.
2) Can anyone suggest a beginner's book that will teach me everything I need to know to program the game?
3) Do you think there is a chance that I could finish the game by the end of the summer?

1) PHP would have more than enough functionality to do this
2) Link to a book. I reckon a game like this would be very heavily database-centered and this book should cover all the basics.
3) You could have it done by the end of summer (stupid Americans, it's winter here ) if you plan it right and don't keep having to go back and fix mistakes.

This kind of thing is probably a little big as a first project but you can still do it, PHP is a suprisingly simple language to pick up and once you have your database knowledge down, it shouldn't be much of a problem. I just strongly recommend you plan your database very well, ask around here for tips because that could be the difference between normal times and like 2 mins loading time per page

As a programming beginner, PHP is definately the easier choice when compared to CGI, at least in my opinion (of course, I've only dabbled in CGI a bit, so don't take my word for it ). And it more than meets the requirements you'd need for an online game.

I really wouldn't even suggest a book really unless you need documentation away from a computer with internet access. PHP has very good documentation and tutorials online anyway.

Plus, HarryF is right. Because you're making an online game, it has very special requirements and techniques you have to learn in order to make your program work well. Translation: This project will probably teach you some very interesting things about making PHP scripts.

I just bought "PHP and MySQL Web Development, Second Edition" off amazon.com for $35. Kevin Yank's book was critisized for being too short (200 pages and the price being $35) and just being a tutorial (NO INDEX!)

At first I was unsure of buying a book when there are a ton of tutorials online, but then I remembered how I learned HTML. Its hard for me to read long articles on the web - I usually skim. Also, $35 isn't that much considering that's less than what a professional programmer would charge per hour.

Could you guys briefly elaborate on the special challanges I will face? I don't know a single command yet, but this project really intrigues me. While I'm waiting for the book to arrive I'll probably come up with some gameplay mechanics and some formulas.